Arthie wasn’t destined for much, but since immigrating to the city of White Roaring, she’s created a life for herself and her band of misfits—Spindrift, a tea house by day which caters to vampires at night. But the police are itching to find a way to close down her business. Her hope resides in the information kept in a ledger that may or may not be kept in one of the best-guarded places in White Roaring, and home to the elite society of vampires. That means one solution. A heist.

I went into this book expecting fun, and I got fun! This high-stake heist adventure has memorable characters, twists and turns, and an undercurrent of antiracist and anticapitalist vibes that was the cherry on top. I loved Faizal’s writing style which I’d discovered in We Hunt the Flame—though I hadn’t been a fan of the quest narrative of that one and the romance had been irking me all along. Here, there is romance, but it’s more in the background. This book would have been perfect with a hint of queerness, but it’s so diverse and I enjoyed one of the final twists so much that I’m not holding it against it.

This book does not replace Six of Crows in my heart because I’m a Kaz girlie through and through, but I think it did as well as it could knowing the bar was super high, and for once I’m excited for the sequel.